Eastern Shore Rail to Trail — Cape Charles Segment

VDOT opened this path to the public on Aug. 20, 2026, making it the first finished piece of the Eastern Shore Rail to Trail — a project the agency describes as a future 49.1-mile shared-use path running from Cape Charles to Hallwood. The segment was built on the railbanked corridor of the former Bay Coast Railroad. It starts at Fig Street and Mason Avenue in Cape Charles and ends at the shopping center near Route 13 (Lankford Highway) and Country Place. VDOT names walking and bicycling as its uses. Note that the length has been published two ways: design-stage documents give 2.17 miles, while the project page and the opening announcement both say 2.2.

Most of the route sits inside the old railroad right of way, running alongside Route 184 (Stone Road) on the way toward Route 13, and it finishes at the signalized intersection Route 13 shares with Country Place. VDOT's environmental review explains that the alignment was drawn to keep path users away from the point where Stone Road meets Route 13, which the agency counted as a safety gain. The construction scope included marked crosswalks at the intersections the route touches, a box culvert carrying the path over an ephemeral stream, and a pipe placed under Country Place. For surfacing, VDOT's design typical section called for a 10-foot-wide asphalt path with a two-inch surface over a base that recycles the railroad's old ballast mixed with new aggregate — though that same document said the final construction details were still to be determined. Parking is one trailhead lot at Mason Avenue and Fig Street, on the Cape Charles end.

VDOT's stated purpose for the path is to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety and to create a safe recreational trail, in a place where Route 13 is the Eastern Shore's only through route. Beyond that trailhead lot, though, the agency publishes nothing about this segment's facilities: no restrooms, drinking water, benches, lighting, shade, hours, fees, or dog policy appear anywhere in its project material, so plan accordingly and call the Hampton Roads District public affairs office at 757-956-3024 if a specific detail matters. Two things are worth knowing before a visit. The adjoining 1.4-mile Cheriton segment, which continues north from Route 13 and Country Place, was still under construction at VDOT's most recent update, with signage and pavement markings among the outstanding items and completion tied to the contract's mid-fall 2026 date. And VDOT's environmental review recorded a stakeholder concern that golf carts — which the review calls locally ubiquitous — could end up on the path despite not being an intended user, with bollards and signage under consideration when the document was written.